Kenya plans to build thousands of miles of electric fencing around its key national parks and to double the number of armed guards in an effort to protect resources as the effects of climate change become more serious.
The country is suffering from a drought that left more than 5 million people without food this year. In combination with changing weather patterns and rapid population growth, the outlook is grim.
“The long rains have failed for the first time. The implications for food security and water scarcity and energy are profound. Kenya will face these three crises in the next 10 years, without doubt. If we carry on the way we are going, in 20 years, the consequences will be horrific,” said Julius Kipng’etich, director of the Kenya Wildlife Service.
Almost 80 percent of Kenya’s drinking water and hydroelectric power comes from national parks, heightening the importance of their protection. The Mau Forest, the largest forest in Kenya, is currently home to 15,000 people who live there illegally and continue to drain its resources. Nearly 257,000 acres of trees have been cut down in the past 15 years.
The protection plan intends to double the number of guards in Kenya’s parks over the next five years while extending the line of fences around Mount Kenya, the Mau Forest, Mount Elgon and the Cherangani Hills, which is already well on its way toward completion.
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